Young New York girl missing since 2019 found hidden under staircase

This photo provided by the Saugerties, NY, Police Department, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, shows where young girl, reported missing in 2019, was found hidden under a staircase by officers searching a home in New York's Hudson Valley, police said Tuesday. Officers executing a search warrant found the girl hidden with her noncustodial mother in a cold, wet, makeshift enclosure under a basement staircase after about an hour of looking. They caught a first glimpse of the girl's feet after removing some wooden steps, according to police. (Saugerties Police Department via AP)

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. (AP) — Police say a young girl reported missing in 2019 was found hidden under a staircase by officers searching a home in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Police in Saugerties say the child was found healthy Monday night about 130 miles east of Cayuga Heights, where she was reported missing in July 2019, when she was 4 years old.

Officers executing a search warrant found the girl in a cold, wet, makeshift room under a basement staircase with her noncustodial mother.

The girl was turned over to her legal guardian and reunited with her older sister.